Official launch of the Neville Studio

Saturday 18th May 2013

Celebrating John Neville

On Wednesday 15 May, actors, stage managers, directors, writers, press officers, props makers, wardrobe assistants and secretaries that worked at Nottingham Playhouse in the 1960s returned to the theatre to celebrate the official launch of the Neville Studio, named in honour of John Neville.

Former colleagues were reunited to celebrate the life and legacy of John Neville, who was Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse, 1963-68 and who passed away in 2011.

Remarkable reunions

Some remarkable reunions occurred at the special launch event. Alan Dossor, director of the 1967 production of Bread and Butter by CP Taylor, met, for the first time in 47 years, three of the original cast members: Giles Block, John Shrapnel and Wendy Allnutt. All four female actors in Ronald Magill’s 1966 production of Hedda Gabler – Ursula Smith, Mary Healey, Wendy Allnutt and Marielaine Church – were also reunited.

Colin George, Associate Director at Nottingham Playhouse 1958-61 and later founding Artistic Director of Sheffield Crucible, performed in the original production of Bomb Thumb in the 1960s and was reunited with its writer Emrys Bryson.

To mark the opening of the Neville Studio we decided to produce, for the first time in over 50 years, several “lost” short plays by writers including Harold Pinter, Shelagh Delaney, John Mortimer and N F Simpson and present them alongside work of contemporary writers. The basic premise of The Lost Plays Revue was to celebrate new writing and writers as much as more established names. This was achieved by performing the short sketches without telling the audience which was which until the end of the evening.

All of the writers were in attendance on Wednesday evening and can be seen in the above photo.